Somehow You And I Collide
by princesspaige
Summary: Paige Michalchuk began walking . . . Jay Hogart began driving . . . both began a night that would alter their lives . . . PaigeJay
1. Hitchin A Ride

"That" I said to Hazel"would look so fab on you" I clicked the picture to see it closer.

"I don't know, Paige" she shook her head"pink is more your color." She pointed to the screen at a royal blue halter dress- the super cute one with sparkles- and said"now, that is one I would wear. And, Jimmy is out of the wheelchair- I can't believe how much progress he's made in physical therepy- so we can actually dance at the dance on Friday"

I smiled. "I'm happy for you two" I told her, but there was that nagging feeling. I mean, sure, scoping out the perfect dress for the upcoming dance with my best friend while we did the pedicure and facial thing was super fun, but I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. Hazel had Jimmy. I had . . . no one. I mean, Spinner and I had been getting closer over the summer, but I was so hurt by him and what he did last year that I didn't know if I wanted to try it again. So, I was going to look fab at the dance . . . by myself. Ugh, I never thought the day would come that Paige Michalchuk didn't have a fashionably cute date to a dance.

I saw the look on Hazel's face- she was going to ask about Spinner, I knew it- but the computer beeped at me. "Ooh, new email message" I exclaimed, sounding too happy to believe, and clicked on the link. Hmm, free samples of deodorant. Nothing too exciting, but hey- it was something to stop Hazel from bringing up the "you should give Spinner another chance" speech.

Hazel touched her face, which was blue from our clay masks. "Should we rinse this stuff off"

I nodded. "Totally. This stuff is so gone. Goodbye, blue face, hello, beautiful skin."

After our girlie rituals were done, Hazel left to go see Jimmy at the Dot. I was sitting in my room, listening to Avril's new CD, when I came up with the great idea of taking a walk. I put on my denim jacket over my yellow t-shirt, changed into some sandblasted blue jeans, and walked down the street. I started paying less attention to where I was going and more thought to Spinner and the new school year. And, what to wear to the dance on Friday. I mean, only two days to go!

I must've walked for more than a few miles before I snapped out of thought, because I was down by the woods now. It was completely dark out. I checked my cell phone. 10:37pm. Wow, I thought, I had been walking for almost 4 hours. I looked back down at my phone to notice something else. Oh, great, I thought, my cell phone got no reception down here. Wherever down here was. It was a little creepy. I so did not like being here, by myself, on a stretch of road surrounded by tall, dark trees.

Suddenly, I heard the roar of a car, and headlights coming out of nowhere. I screamed as the car swerved to avoid me. Somehow, I ended up in the ditch, covered in water and mud, and my right ankle was starting to hurt.

I saw the car slam to a stop. The driver's side door opened and a tall silouette appeared, walking towards me.

It started to rain. Oh great, I thought, I'm going to die. In the rain. If this wasn't bad enough, I was muddy and soaked and cold. This was a great way to go out. Not.

The crazy driver stood over me. I could see that it was a guy, and he was wearing a hat. He squatted down and extended his hand. "Are you okay down there? C'mon, I'll help you up."

I didn't know what to think. I was in the middle of nowhere, filthy and slightly stinky (the ditch so did not smell like my new Ralph Lauren perfume), injured (my ankle was swelling from inside my cute new-and probably ruined-Puma's), and the only help I was offered was by a possible lunatic with a lead foot. Why not? I asked myself. I grabbed his hand, and he pulled me up. "Ow! Ow, owie, my ankle" I collapsed, halfway on the shoulder of the road. While I could walk, it really hurt.

The guy rushed over to my side. "What hurts? Do you need a doctor" He picked me up, and for a moment, I was leaning against the stranger's chest, my arms wrapped around his neck for support, and his hands on my dirty, wet sides, holding me up. I looked into the stranger's face. Through the rain, the headlights from his car illuminated his face just enough for me to recognize who it was.

"Oh, it's you" we both said simultaneously. I was looking into the shocked face of Jay Hogart. He let go of me.

"Ow! Ow ow ow" I wrapped my arms tighter for support.

He hoisted me back up. "Hey, let's not strangle me here" he scowled.

"Well, way to drop an injured girl that you almost ran over"

"Hey, Princess, I'm trying to help you. You shouldn't be walking down this road at night in the first place." His face softened, slightly. "What _are_ you doing here, anyway"

I rolled my eyes. "As if you care."

"Hey, I can let go, and little miss pom-poms will be in the mud, again." He raised his eyebrows as if to say, try me.

I sighed. Why was I actually talking to him? Why was I actually maintaining physical contact with him? Oh yeah, I was hurt. Great. "Okay, okay, if you must know, I needed to take a walk. Clear my head."

"Aww, what's wrong? Your lip gloss didn't match your outfit" Jay mocked me with a sneer on his face. "What kind of problems do you have? I'll answer that- none that matter in the real world."  
"Oh yeah! What problems do you have? Did your beer supply run out? Or did you not get to terrorize any grade 10's yet this year"

"That's it, I don't have to take this." He rolled his eyes.

"Wait" I considered my options. Be stuck in the middle of nowhere at nightfall in the rain, or try to squeeze some sympathy out of Jay. "Um, since I can't walk because of your ignorant driving, would you mind giving a girl a ride home"

He glared at me. He was about to say something mean, but then got this frustrated face and said"ok, get in."

I hobbled to the passenger-side door. Jay popped it open from inside the car. "Wait" he said, as he draped a dark towel over the seat. "You're a little dirty" he smirked. I scowled. "Aww, is this the first time Rah-Rah got mud on her"

I was thinking of something nasty to say to him, but I decided against it. He was my ride home, I told myself, so I should make an effort to be civil towards him. "Um, thank you. For the ride home. And, not squishing me into the pavement back there."

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Whatever." It was like he snapped out of some kind of trance. "I mean, yeah, you're welcome. Or, whatever." He turned up the stereo. "You like Lil' Scrappy" he shouted.

"Um, I've never" I started.

"That's nice" he said, ignoring anything that was coming out of my mouth.

I sighed heavily and leaned back in the seat, feeling slightly cold, really wet, and in need of some serious Tylenol. This was going to be a long car ride.


	2. Stuck With Me

"What the hell" I knocked over Alex's lamp, which crashed to the floor with a shatter.

"Jay, I- I mean, this is not what you think" Alex grabbed her green throw pillow to shield her bare chest- don't know why, nothing I haven't seen before- and started to stutter again.

"Shut up! Just, shut the hell up! What were you thinking" I pointed at him. "If you say anything, I will rip your eyes out, right here, right now."

Toby looked at me with a shocked expression. Actually, he looked like he was going to shit his pants- if he had any on- and just cowered in the corner of Alex's bed.

Usually, the knowledge that I had just scared the crap out of someone gave me a sense of accomplishment. Not today. Not after finding geek patrol with my girlfriend.

Well, now ex-girlfriend. "You are such a bitch! I can't believe you" I punched her wall, which left a small hole in the drywall. My hand hurt like hell- I was probably bleeding- but I didn't care. "Slut" I screamed as I tore down her stairs. I slammed her front door behind me.

I climbed into my Accord. As I slammed the door shut, I saw the lillies I had just bought for her. I left them in the car by accident. Good thing, too. I threw them out of my sunroof as I sped away, almost red-lining my car.

I had been driving for about an hour when I realized that it was dark already. I didn't know where I was, and there weren't any street signs. I didn't recognize this part of Toronto, I realized. I was really shaken up by what I had just seen. Geez, Alex . . . and that nerd. I couldn't beleve it! I didn't understand it. How could she?

All of a sudden, I saw a figure in the road. A girl. I slammed on my brakes and jerked the steering wheel as my car started to slide on the wet pavement. When did it start raining? I thought to myself.

My car slid to a stop. I quickly got out, leaving the engine still running, and hurried over to the ditch. The girl was lying there. Did I just kill somebody? I asked myself. No, I reasoned, my car didn't hit her. I reached out my hand and leaned down. Asked if she was okay. No answer. She reached up and grabbed my hand. I pulled her up. She put her arms around my neck, as if to hold herself up.

I was face to face with Paige Michalchuk. I let go of her in my state of shock.

"Ow! Ow ow ow" She held onto my neck harder, almost pulling me down in the ditch.

"Hey, let's not strangle me here" I was concerned about her, but didn't want to go flying into the ditch. I mean, she was covered in mud and bits of grass. Through it all, it was funny- I had never seen Paige look less than perfect. Right now, however, she looked, well, real. Not all perfect and plastic. Real. And, real dirty.

She made some snide comment. I considered leaving her here, but- believe it or not- I actually have a conscience. It ended up with her in my car. I turned up the stereo so that she couldn't make some snide remark about my car or my attitude or whatever she wanted to degrade me about, but I decided that, if we were stuck together, we might as well try to get along. Besides, I was lost, and if she could point me in the right direction, that would be cool. Not that I'd ever admit that to her, or anything.

No talking. Fine. I wasn't going to admit that I didn't know where we were. "I'm hungry" I said, and pulled into the little roadside diner on my left. I'd never heard of it before, but I figured, hey- they must be able to give me some directions. And, I was hungry. She gave me an icy look. "Hey" I started"I'm hungry, and you're stuck with me. Deal with it."

"How can you think of food at a time like this" Paige sat up, then winced in pain. "Well, maybe they'll have some ice. My ankle's not getting any better in here" she muttered. I saw her reach down to rub her ankle.

I pulled my car into the parking lot and cut the lights. I had just shut the engine off when I heard Paige say"ooh, pretty" I looked over and saw her holding a lily. I wanted to snatch it from her hand- it made me think about the earlier events at Alex's house- but I stopped. Her face was streaked with dirt, her perfect clothes were caked in dried mud with strands of grass clinging to her jacket and hair, and- judging by the amount of whining and crying she was doing over her ankle- she was in some pain. And, the flower made her smile. Not her usual condesending, I'm-better-than-you smile, but an actual smile. There was something about that innocense that shone through her usually snobby face that reminded me of my little sister. It made me feel like I almost connected with her. Almost.

"Okay, Princess, put the flower in your hair and let's get something to eat. It will go with all the grass that's already in there."

She rolled her eyes at me, but I saw a faint smile. "How do you propose I get from your car to the front door"

I sighed. "Can't you hop"

She looked at me with this _are you serious?_ scowl on her face.

It was my turn to roll my eyes. "Okay, piggy back ride. Take it or leave it."

I hoisted her on my back. "Here we go" It reminded me of when I used to take care of my sister. I caught myself making airplane noises. Paige laughed, her mouth right next to my ear. "Jay Hogart, making kiddy noises while giving me a piggy back ride? I never thought I would see this day." She shook her head, her blonde hair swishing on either side of my face. It smelled like pineapples, or something.

"Okay, going down" I said, and she stood on her left leg, holding onto the door for support.

What just happened? I asked myself. Did I just spend two minutes with miss high-and-mighty and not want to kill myself?

Never thought I'd see the day.


	3. Walking Contradiction

A/N:

I don't know if Jay has a little sister or not, but for the sake of my fanfic, let's just pretend he has a little sister, Haley, who now resides with their aunt in British Columbia.

Thanks for the review, britneyh8r- I really appreciate it when I get feedback! To answer your question:

I am American. Americans get Degrassi:TNG from The-N. However, there is a loophole: I live about 25-30 minutes from Whiterock, British Columbia (I went up there for my 19th birthday with some friends and ordered my first alcoholic drink- a crantini. But, that's besides the point. My point is) because of this, I get CTV as part of my basic expanded cable package. So, I am one of the few Americans who has seen every episode from season 4. I am quite dissapointed in the season finale. Anyway, I am adding this to explain, my story takes place after Way Down The Road, Part 2.

(If you are American and haven't seen this, don't worry- you didn't miss much. West End Girls would've made a far better season finale. As a cheerleader myself, I was appaled at the squad's behavior and letting Paige fall- completely inappropriate, not to mention dangerous. The ripping-off of the dress though- that was classic- what the heck is Manny wearing, anyway?) Okay, enough of me rambling and raving. On with Paige and Jay!

I hopped down from Jay's shoulders onto my uninjured ankle as we walked inside. It was like something out of the '50's. A girl, about Dylan's age, skated up to us- yes, skated- with two menus. "Aren't you two lovebirds cute this evening!"

"Ugh," I rolled my eyes, "we are _so_ not-"

Before I could finish correcting her, she turned her back to us and skated to the booths. "Right this way," she said happily. After we had both sat down, she placed the menus in front of us. "Can I start you two off with something to drink? Milkshake, lemonade, anything?"

"How about a pint of MGD?" Jay smiled.

The waitress looked down at him politely. "Honey, this is a family restaurant. We don't serve that here. Besides, it would be a little impolite to drink in front of your lady, wouldn't it?"

I curled my lip. "I am _not_ his lady, and he is _not_ my lovebird," I muttered as I sat back in the vinyl seat, the material making a creaking sound.

"Um, how 'bout a Coke?"

She scribbled that down, then turned to me. "And what would you like tonight?"

"To go home," I mumbled.

"Sorry, what was that?" She looked intently at me. Her hair was something straight out of the '50's, too. A real poodle skirt? That was fashionable . . . when I was 6 on Halloween night . . . "I'll have a venti non-fat caramel macchiato," I smiled.

She gave me a blank look.

"I mean, a strawberry lemonade," I quickly added.

She scribbled that down too. "I'll be right back!" She skated off to the back part of the diner.

A minute had passed. Two minutes. No talking. I noticed that there was dirt underneath Jay's fingernails. His black hoodie had a tear on one of the sleeves. He had removed his gross-looking hat and set it next to him to scratch his forehead. I was noticing a small scar on his left eyebrow when he suddenly snapped his head up, his cold blue eyes burning holes into mine. "Do you have a staring problem?"

"Do _you_ have any social skills?" I retorted. I wasn't as offended as I wanted to sound; in all actuality, I was taken aback by the way he looked at me. Something about that stare sent a chill down my spine. Not the "I'm going to die" kind of chill, but, something different.

Before I could analyze what that chill was, a big glass was set in front of me. "Here you two go. I'll be right back to take your orders." I took a sip. Wow, actual strawberry lemonade! That was really good.

I decided I would go for the civil approach. "So, how's Alex?" I asked casually, waiting for a grunt, or shoulder shrug, or something of the neanderthal nature.  
He nearly choked on his pop. "Don't know, don't care." He more so mumbled that to his drink than to me.

I rolled my eyes. "That's right, I'm talking to Jay Hogart, the guy who doesn't care about anything in the world. Not even his own girlfriend."

He looked at me. Very angry this time, truly enraged. "Oh, so if you found Brillo head cheating on you with someone else, you wouldn't be pissed! I saw her naked! With that, that, nerd!" He flung his arm across the table, sending his coke flying, then shattering on impact with the floor. "Dammit!"

"You do care," I said, letting it slip out.

He glared at me. "What. Did. You. Say."

"I mean," I stammered, "you do care about her. If you didn't care, you wouldn't have gotten all pissed and had your temper tantrum with your pop. You, Mr. I don't give a crap about anyone else, are a walking contradiction!" Before he could rip me apart, I added in, "and yes, when I saw Spinner with Manny last year, I was pissed. I thought about wrecking his car even more."

He looked a little less angry at me. Still looked like he wanted to have another hissy fit, but less so.

The waitress came up to us, drink refills in hand. "Here you go. And, what will you have tonight? We have a special on our Bonanza burger, our Cowboy griddle . . . " she listed things off on her fingers. Ugh, her nail polish was a shade that no one under the age of 80 should ever wear.

"Yeah, I'll take that," Jay said, shrugging.

"Do you have any low-carb choices?" I asked.

"Come on, Princess, live a little," Jay smirked as the waitress looked confused.

I sighed. "Nevermind. Can I have some fish and chips?"

She wrote that down too. "I'll be back in a little while. Enjoy your drinks!" With that, she was off.

"I, um, I didn't mean to make you mad earlier," I apologized.

"Eh, yeah, whatever. I'm still breathing." He picked at his fingernails.

It amazed me how that- the whatever comment- was the end of his anger towards that. In a way, it was so easy going. Then again, it was so a trait of a serial murderer.

Maybe there was more to Jay Hogart than what met the eye. I sipped my lemonade, glancing at him every so often. Yeah. There was definately more to Jay.


	4. One Of My Lies

Author's Note: Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! I love getting feedback! And, for season five of Degrassi:TNG, I hope to see a Paige/Jay pairing, even if it's just for one episode! That would be so awesome! And, to oxBoulevard of Broken Dreamsxo, thanks! I'm glad another Green Day fan is reading my stuff- you rock too! Everyone rocks! Hehehe . . . Ok, so where did we leave off? Oh, Paige and Jay in the diner . . .

"Now this," Jay pointed his fork at his plate and said to me through a mouthful of food, "is really good. These cooks should work in our lunchroom."

"Yeah, you might actually stay at school until lunch," I smirked. How could he eat that stuff? I wondered. It looked like someone's lunch from Sheila, just, well, recycled, if you know what I mean. I took another bite of the battered fish on my plate. I had to admit, Jay had a point. This cook really knows what they're doing.

I didn't get a response from Jay. I think his food was keeping him busy. Ha. Me Jay, me like food, yum yum food. I had to keep from laughing aloud.

The waitress came around with their checks. "How is everything?"

Jay nodded and swallowed another heaping forkful of food. "Great!"

At least he doesn't have food in his mouth this time, Paige thought.

They finished their meals, and Paige pulled out her wallet. "I have a 20. Do you have change?"

"I got this."

"Huh?" Jay was offering to buy her dinner? What was happening here? she thought.

"I said," he repeated slowly, "I got this." He shrugged. "I almost ran you over, I can at least pay for your dinner." He got up and walked to the register, with Paige hobbling behind him. She leaned against the counter as Jay pulled out some money and handed it to the cashier. "Make sure the waitress gets that tip," he said, almost menacingly.

"Yes, sir," the cashier nodded.

Jay looked at Paige. "I have to use the pisser."

She rolled her eyes. "Thanks for sharing."

He shook his head. "I'll be right back." He headed to the men's room.

Jay finished his business, then went to wash his hands. He just got them wet when he felt a stinging sensation on his right palm. A bloodless cut. Probably from Alex's lamp, when he hurled it at the ground earlier. He sighed as he rubbed soap on his hands, his right one still stinging. That bitch, he thought. That heartless bitch. How could she? Didn't matter, she didn't matter anymore.

You do care. Paige's voice echoed in his head. He rested his head forward, against the mirror. She was right. I do care. I mean, we have our fights, but, I do care about Alex. But, lately we've been fighting over everything. Tonight was our last stand, he decided. I can't deal with this anymore. It's not right. As much as I care about Alex, our relationship isn't healthy, it's not doing any of us any good. Jay let out another heavy sigh, this time feeling better, a little relieved. Alex and I are over. No more make-ups. This is it. And it's better this way.

He hadn't even realized the water was still running over his hands until he went to scratch his nose. He shook the water off of his face, turned off the faucet, and dried his hands. The cut on his palm didn't sting anymore, he realized as he threw away the paper towel. I guess washing it out was what needed to happen, he thought, not entirely talking about the cut.

As Jay walked out, he saw the cashier, leaned up against the counter, talking to a clearly uninterested Paige. Now, should I be nice, or should I enjoy this moment? Jay thought to himself. The nice side won out.

He stood next to Paige and put his arm around her waist, her flinching a bit. "You ready to go?"

The cashier gave him a dirty look.

Jay gave him a nastier one. "Back off my girlfriend, or I'll rip you a new asshole," he said, putting his face closer to the cashier's. He read his nametag, "Paul." With that, he picked Paige up and carried her out of the restaurant, putting her down when he got to the passenger side of his car. His hand was still on her waist. "He didn't mess with you, did he?"

She shook her head, then gave a coy smile. "Is Jay getting, what's the word, jealous? A little alpha-male syndrome?"

"Pfft." He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. Jealous that someone is talking to Paige Michalchuk? Please."

And they were just standing there, face to face, with Jay's hand on her waist . . . when the rain started to pour.

Jay quickly unlocked Paige's door, then hurried around to unlock his own. After a few minutes, Jay was out on the road again. "Do you know where we are?" Paige asked him, a little worried.

"Yep, I know exactly where we are," Jay told her. That's a lie, he told himself.

"So, you've been to that diner before?" She asked?

"Yeah. Once or twice." Lying again.

"Oh." She sat back in her seat.

"And I wasn't jealous," Jay added. Another one of my lies. He turned up the music and drove down the road, not knowing what to expect.


	5. Give Me Novacaine

Paige stared out the passenger-side window as the music all but made her eardrums explode. Some guys rapping about crunk juice, whatever that is. She replayed the events of the past fifteen minutes in her head. First that creepy cashier guy kept hitting on me- ugh, as if I would date someone like him, she thought. Then Jay comes to my rescue, surprisingly. I cannot believe he just put his arm around me- it was so, so, natural. Then came the showdown between creepy cashier and less-creepy Jay, which ended with Jay carrying me out to the car. Paige smiled as she remembered smelling some cologne on his neck. Smelled good. Really good. Must've been that smell that got to my head when I asked Jay if he was jealous. He got all offended on me, Paige frowned. But, he still held on to me. That thought brought the smile back to her face. And, for some strange reason, I thought something was going to happen. Well, before it started raining. And now, here we are, driving down the road to who-knows-where, listening to this awful music.

I have to turn this off before my ears go on protest and explode, Paige thought. She reached over and turned the volume knob. "Um, Jay, can we stop at the next gas station? I could use some Tylenol or something." She winced. Lame excuse, she told herself. Well, it was true- she was in pain, but it still seemed like a dumb thing to say.

She didn't get one. "Yeah. There's gotta be one up here," Jay told her. Somewhere, he thought to himself. When she finds out that I have no idea where we are, she's going to bitch me out with her pretty little mouth. Then she'll tear me apart with her pretty manicured nails. Wait, did I just use the word pretty?

She couldn't help but glance at him once in a while. Okay, more than once in a while. That hat is so gross, she thought to herself. As if on cue, he reached up and threw the hat in his lap and scratched his hair. She glanced over again to catch him with his left hand in his hair. You know, he doesn't look that bad without that hat. Again, as if on cue, he put the hat back on. She sat back, farther in her seat. Figures, she thought.

Jay spotted a gas station up ahead. Lucky Gas And Groceries. He pulled his car up to the pump. "I'm gonna get some gas. You go get what you need." He got out of his car and opened the gas cap as Paige hopped over to the door. She went in and leaned against the counter. "Hi, do you have any Tylenol?"

The gas station attendant looked up at her. "What do you say? What is the Tyleenel?"

Paige sighed. Great. "Do you have any painkillers? Advil, asprin, anything?"

"Kill pain? You have pain?"

"Yes!" Big sigh. She decided to take it really slow. "Do. You. Have. Any. Painkillers?"

"So sorry, no carry that."

"Do you have anything? Motrin? Midol? Give me novacaine if you have to!" She was getting frustrated. She would've stomped her foot, if it wouldn't have put her in more pain than she was already in.

Just then Jay came in and threw a 10 on the counter. "For pump 2."

"Okay, thank you, have good day sir."

Paige followed Jay back to the car. "They don't have any pain killers," she grumbled as they got in the car.

He stopped putting on his seatbelt to reach behind his seat. "Here, take some of this." He held up a bottle.

Paige grabbed it and examined the label. "Alchohol? Are you serious?" She looked at him pointedly, raising one eyebrow.

Jay nodded. "Really. Have some, your ankle will feel better."

"Ugh, yeah right." She read the label again. "One-hundred and fifty-one of what? Jay, this isn't a good idea."

Silence.

"Will it really make me feel better?"

Jay looked at her. "It'll relax you; you'll probably fall asleep."

Do I really want to be asleep with him in the middle of nowhere in his car? was her automatic reaction. No, Paige told herself, Jay does have the reputation of a bad-ass, but he wouldn't do anything to me. I know it. There's just something about him- I know I can trust him. He's not a bad guy. She glanced at him, who was looking at her, the bottle, then back at her. She looked at his mouth, which twitched nervously, at the strands of hair that poked out from underneath his grungy black hat, directly into his cold blue eyes. No, not cold. Hot. No. No! She looked away, her face getting warm. Oh, please, don't tell me I was checking him out. It's the pain. I'm hallucinating.

"Aww, what's the matter?" Jay taunted her. "Rah-rah's never had a drink before?"

She glared at him, then opened the bottle and took a big gulp. Her throat- it was on fire! She didn't care. Well, maybe a little bit. But, she took another swig. My esophogus is going to burn away, Paige thought, still looking Jay in the eye.

"Hey, slow down," Jay smiled and took the bottle away from her, screwed the lid back on, and put it behind his seat. "You don't need the whole bottle." He looked at her scrunched-up face. "Didn't taste too good, did it? Have some coke." He reached behind her seat, then paused when he saw the worried look on her face. "I mean pop, not the nose candy. I don't do that shit. But, of course, you just assume I do because I don't hang out with your holier-than-thou group." He shook his head and grabbed a can of coke, then handed it to her.

Paige tilted her head. "That's not true! I never said anything like that!" She frowned as she opened the can, took a sip, and set it in the cupholder.

"Seatbelts," Jay muttered, as he put his car into second gear and took off.

Paige sipped on the pop and sighed. I don't know where we are, she thought. Hell, I don't even know what time it is; my phone battery ran out sometime while we were in the diner. She felt herself relax and get warm and, well, kind of fuzzy. Oh great, here we go. Please, don't let me do anything dumb, she silently prayed.


	6. Having a Blast

A/N: Just thought I'd try the 3rd person approach for chapters 4 and 5. I'm going back to the first person POV for this chapter. To clear up any confusion, this chapter brings us into Jay's mind (as scary as that can be, we're going in!).

I can't believe what I just saw. Paige just took a huge swig of Bacardi 151, then glared at me and took another. She is going to be drunk, I thought, considering that she's probably never had a drink before. We had a few words over the pop I gave her- it was dumb- and then we were on the road again.

I had been driving for about twenty minutes when Paige started singing along to the stereo. Badly. "To the window, to the WALL!" She giggled as she was butchering the Lil' Jon song. "He just said _balls_! Oh wow, I've never felt like this before. Wheee!" She wheee'd as I turned the corner. Okay, still the middle of nowhere.

"Ooh ooh, look! Lights! Pretty!" More giggling. There was a little tavern up ahead. Maybe they'll have some clue on how to get back into Toronto, I thought. Ha. The first time I go to a tavern, and it's just for directions. What is wrong with me?

I pulled my car into the gravel mini-parking lot. "Can we go in? It looks like fun! Ooh, bull-riding contest!" Paige was definately not a drinker. Then again, even I get pretty messed up if I chug 151. I didn't see this being a good idea, but I shrugged. "We can go in for a minute. How's your ankle doing?"

She looked at me and smiled. "It does feel better! You know, it hadn't hurt like that since Manny had Darcy drop me last year. Like, we were supposed to go into a cradle, but Darcy and the other girl just stood there. It finally healed a few weeks ago, and then I go and fall into a ditch tonight. I am such a klutz!" She giggled as she opened up her car door.

I got out and helped her to the door. She could walk okay, but had some trouble with the stairs. She tripped on the last one and fell against me, her arms wrapping around me for support. "Whoopsie! Sorry, I'm sorry," she apologized as I put my hands on her waist and held her up straight.

"It's okay. Are you sure you want to go in? Are you okay to go in?"

She smiled, her arms still giving me a big bear hug. "Of course! I wanna ride the bull! Are you worried about me?"

"Well," I cleared my throat, "yeah, I'm a little worried. You're pretty buzzed, and these guys in here are probably gonna be, well, rude to you."

"Rude? I know rude. I am rude. I'm rude to you. I'm rude to you at school all the time." Her face got soft. "I'm sorry. I just, I don't know you. Didn't know you. You're really not a bad guy. You're really not the badass you come off to be. And I'm not really a bitch. I've just acted like one since, like grade seven. You know, the new year- new look- new Paige kind of thing. Since then, it's just kind of stuck with me. It's like, who I am or something. But, I won't be a bitch to you anymore, I promise." She grinned bigger. "You're a cool guy. You're such a cool guy. Why do you pretend to be such a bad-ass all the time?" She giggled as she put her face into my chest. "Wow, you smell good. Actually, I noticed that earlier, but I didn't want to say anything, I was almost afraid to. I don't know why though, it seems silly." Gigglefest into my black t-shirt.

"Paige, are you sure you can go in here?"

"Jay, hon, I feel fine! I feel great!" With that, she opened the door. We stepped into the smoke-filled tavern. It was dimly lit, with a mechanical bull in the middle, and a bar behind it. Paige ran up to the bull. "I wanna ride the bull!"

A big guy with a red flannel shirt and Carhartt's on stepped up to her. "Well, hello pretty lady. The deal is, it's 5 a ride. If you stay on for more than 30 seconds, you get 20. If you lose, then, you lose."

Paige looked at me. "All I have is a 20. Do you have change?"

I handed the guy- who was blatantly staring at Paige's chest- a 5 as I slipped my arm around Paige for the second time tonight. What was I, a bodyguard? "You sure you want to do this? I don't want you to get hurt." As soon as I said those words, a wave of emotion came over me. I had gotten to know this girl in less than 3 hours, and I actually cared about her well-being.

The guy took a small step back. "You're the boyfriend?"

Paige giggled. Again. "Jay is the coolest guy in the world," she beamed as she looked up at me.

He looked at her, then me. "You two don't look like much of a couple," he said, almost challenging me.

I held her closer, wrapping both arms around her waist and resting my chin on top of her blonde hair. I could smell the lily, mixed with the scent of her pineapple shampoo. Or conditioner. Or whatever the hell she put in her hair to make it smell like pineapples.

Paige's hands rubbed up and down my arms. "Jay is the greatest!"

The guy backed off. "Oh. Well, little girl, you ready to ride?" He sneered as he said the last words, making them sound dirty. I really wanted to punch that smug look off of his face. Instead, I burned holes in his head with my eyes as Paige got up on the bull. It started, and she jerked forward. "Whoa!" That turned into "wheee!" which turned into "this is _sooo_ much fun!" I couldn't believe it; she was actually pretty good at this. Somehow she had gotten her jacket off and was waving it over her head. "This is so cool!" That yellow shirt fit her like a dream. I couldn't help but stare. She didn't have that fake smile she usually had at school; she was actually having a good time. Again, there was that innocence about her, something pure and true. The flower was falling out of her hair.

An airhorn went off, making me jump, since the guy blared it in my ear. I gave him a dirty look. "We have a winner!" Neanderthal stopped the bull, and Paige kind of stumbled off. He placed a 20 in her hand, and gave her a smile. "Nice, little girl. You sure can move."

Paige giggled. "I guess I can, huh? I'm having a blast!"

I put my arm around Paige. "Hey, let's go get a drink," I mumbled in her ear.

"Anything, as long as you do that again," she giggled.

I looked at her. "Do what again?"

She shook her head. "Nevermind."

I took her to the bar and sat her down. "Now, can you be a big girl and stay here for a sec while I talk to the nice bartender?"

She brushed my shoulder. "Jay, I'm fine. Really. I feel normal again. Um, almost," she giggled. "Really, I'm fine. Go talk." She gave me a smile.

I sat at a stool about 5 feet away from Paige and got the bartender's attention. "Hey, where are you from?" I asked, as she wiped down the bar.

She gave me a weird look, then replied "Toronto" while wiping down the counter.

"Really? Never been there before. Where's that?"

"Um, we're right next to it. Keep on driving, you'll get there." Then she gave me this knowing smile. It was like she knew I was lost and was trying to find my way back. As if she could read my mind, she said to me, "sometimes, when we go home, we're not going back; we're moving forward, you know?" With that, she went to the back. Creepy.

I turned to get Paige so that we could leave, and saw Neanderthal putting his hand on her leg. I rushed over and got her. "Come on, we're leaving."

"What if she doesn't want to go?" he asked me.

"Oh, no, I fully want to go," she said, holding on to me. We made it outside, her getting into the car, when the tavern door swung open again, with dumbass walking towards me. "Hey!"

I stopped. "Paige, get in the car." I looked at her, her worried face illuminated by the neon signs in the bar windows, the only lights in the dark night. There weren't even any stars out. It was dark- really dark -and with caveman looming over me, it was going to get even darker.

"Jay, let's go."

"Paige."

She got in. I saw her watch me from the car.

"Hey! I was talking to her." He put his face thisclose to mine. His breath smelled like sour beer, and he reeked of cigarette smoke. Well, after being in that bar, I bet I did too, but it just oozed out of this guy. I held in a choking cough.

"Yeah? She didn't want to talk to you." I put my hands up, ready to shove him away.

"You don't know that."

"Whatever, dude." I turned to get into the car when his hand clamped down on my right shoulder.

"No, I don't think so," he said as he turned me around. "I wasn't done talking to you."

"Well, I'm done talking to you." As soon as I turned back around, I felt him shove me. He shoved me pretty hard.

I turned around. "What the hell is your problem?"

He didn't opt for words. Instead, he slammed his fist agaist my cheek. I could feel the blood running down my face.

I swung and punched him in the stomach. As soon as he doubled over, I brought his head down and kneed him in the jaw. He fell to the ground, and I made my way to the car. I took off, spewing gravel all over him and the other guys who had just come out to see what was going on.

"Jay, you're bleeding." Paige was wiping off my cheek with her jacket. I pulled away from her, but eventually stayed still, mostly because I didn't feel like driving with my head against the driver's side window all the way to Toronto. It could be awhile.


End file.
